At his first stop, a tour of Wat Pho Royal Monastery in
Bangkok, Obama joked with a monk that he needed his prayers for
the U.S. to resolve the deficit-reduction talks he is
undertaking with Congress.

“Yes, we’re working on this budget,” a laughing Obama told
the monk who was guiding him and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the monastery tour. “We’re going to need a lot of
prayer for that.”

Obama arrived in Bangkok at 3 p.m. local time today and was
scheduled to meet with King Bhumibol Adulyadej after the tour of
the Buddhist temple. The 84-year-old king, who was born in
Massachusetts while his father studied at Harvard University,
has lived in a Bangkok hospital since 2009 undergoing treatment
for various illnesses. He is the world’s longest-serving current
monarch, reigning since 1946. President Barack Obama asked a
monk in Bangkok to pray for the US to resolve the fiscal cliff.

Obama also will meet with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The government of Thailand has announced an interest
in becoming the 12th country to join the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, Obama’s top trade priority.

Their discussions will include disaster relief, non-
proliferation and smuggling, including Thai interdiction of
shipments from North Korea to Hamas, Ben Rhodes, White House
deputy national security adviser, told reporters while traveling
on Air Force One to Thailand with the president.

“It was very important for us to send a signal to the
region that allies are going to continue to be the foundation of
our approach,” Rhodes said.

Obama’s Asia trip also will include stops in Myanmar, a
former military regime bordering China that is hosting an
American president for the first time, and in Cambodia for the
regional summit including leaders from China, Japan and South
Korea.